The Impossible
by didgeridork
Summary: IMPORTANT: someone has copied this fic and posted it as their own! They did not get my permission to do so! - The Pierce-Lopez family are on vacation in Thailand when the unthinkable happens - a massive wall of water, twenty feet tall; a tsunami. In the blink of an eye, their family is literally torn apart. (summary temporarily shortened to add the note)
1. Chapter 1

_This fic is based off the movie The Impossible (with Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts). It's a true story about a family that experienced first hand the 2004 tsunami's in Thialand. If you've seen the movie, you'll recognize the overall gist of this fic, but a lot of things are different, so hopefully you'll still enjoy._

_I realize some of the characters might seem OOC in this first chapter, but that's done on purpose and you'll understand why as the story progresses. This fic will be full of extreme angst and heartbreak, but I promise will have a happy outcome/ending. But if you don't like to cry over fictional characters, you might not want to read ;)_

_The next chapter will be more fleshed out and filled in. I was mostly trying to get through the set up in this one. Depending on the response, I should have the next chapter up in a few days :D_

_I hope you guys enjoy reading. This is my first Brittana fic, so I'd definitely like to know what you think!_

* * *

**The Impossible**

Chapter One

Sugar Pierce-Lopez grumbled quietly to herself as she turned up the volume on her iPod. She'd been sitting in that cramped little airline seat for nearly six hours, and if the plane ride didn't end soon, she was liable to snap. Probably not before her mom though, since Santana looked a lot worse than she herself felt. She didn't really blame her though, what with the screaming and the crying coming from just a few feet away. Sugar was only listening to music and she couldn't concentrate, she couldn't imagine how frustrated the older woman was trying to do _work_.

"For Pete's sake Brit! Can you please quiet them down for a few minutes!? I can barely hear myself _think_ let alone make this trade deal!" Santana did finally snap, whipping around from her isolated seat up towards the front of the small, private jet. She glared in annoyance at her wife while plugging her ear with her finger as she tried to hear her co-worker through the phone.

Brittany had long since learned to tune Santana's shouting out. Not that it should have been a bigger concern to her in that moment than her hysterically sobbing three year old twin boys. "San, it's the pressure! It's hurting their ears!" she shouted back over the roar of the engines. For a private jet, it wasn't all that spectacular. If she herself had been paying for it, she might have thought to complain. As it were, it was Santana's money and Santana's trip. She was just along for the ride, as usual.

Digging through one of her half dozen carry on bags, the mother groaned in despair as her children's pacifiers remained elusive. They couldn't bring any pre-made bottles onto the plane, and she didn't trust either of her sons with chewing gum just yet. "Sugar, can you ask your mother where she packed their binkys?"

Sugar heard her mom but didn't answer, instead turning her music up even more and shifting in her seat so she was now facing and looking out the window. The _hell_ she was interrupting her other mother while she was on a business call! She was stubborn, not stupid.

Realizing her oldest child wasn't going to be any help, Brittany reluctantly unbuckled her seat belt and set the twin she'd been holding into the seat. "San, can you please put that on hold for one minute and help me with the boys?" she pleaded as she walked down the isle towards her wife. She could tell by the woman's posture that she was irritated, and suddenly rethought her approach. "Or can you at least tell me where you packed the pacifiers? That was your job, remember?"

Santana could barely hear her broker at that point, due both to the shoddy reception as well as the ruckus in the cabin. "Hold on Steve, I can barely hear you." She placed her hand over the receiver and turned in her seat, frowning up at her love. "Brit, that was Sugar's job, not mine. I got Dani ready this morning. You know I don't have a clue where you keep all of the baby things in this house."

Brittany leant into the seat opposite Santana as she thought back to that morning. They'd only been living in their current six bedroom, three and a half bathroom, upscale Manhattan apartment for about two months. She knew Santana worked all sorts of crazy hours in order to afford their lifestyle, but surely the woman had to know where the damn pacifiers were! "San, just come sit with me and hold Tyler? Please? Just for a little while until their ears adjust."

Santana looked behind her, at the two blonde haired, blue eyed boys still crying and flailing about in their seats and started to unbuckle her belt, when suddenly she remembered the phone in her hand. Pressing it back to her ear, she was relieved to find that the reception had strengthened, and she could hear her co-worker again. "Brit, I'm sorry babe, but the sooner I get these calls done with, the sooner I can devote all my time to you and the kids," she explained in that way she knew Brittany didn't know how to counter.

Sighing in disappointment, Brittany was upset with herself that she even bothered to ask. Heading back to her seat, she glanced at her sixteen year old daughter in the isle next to her. "Sugar, honey, can you please hold one of your brothers for a few minutes?" As expected, the uninterested teen ignored her and continued to stare rebelliously out the window.

"I can sit with Tyler," a softer voice spoke up from behind the seats Brittany and the twins sat. Looking back between the seats, Brittany could see her twelve year old daughter starting to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"No, Daniela, sweety, just stay there okay? Please, I don't need you getting hurt trying to walk up and down the isles," Brittany insisted, oblivious to the disappointed look on her daughter's face. She'd already turned back around and was once more trying to sooth both of her sons.

This was definitely going to be a nightmare of a trip; Brittany could already feel it in her gut.

* * *

Once the plane had landed and the family was taxi'd to their destination - a luxury beach side resort that had only opened up that year - things continued to go downhill. The executive suite Santana had booked, which was on the ground floor and was the largest room they offered, was apparently already occupied. Their next best option? A normal sized two room suite all the way on the fourth floor.

Nope. Santana was definitely not having it. "You better get your manager here pronto or i'll be taking my money elsewhere!" she shouted at the young man working at the reservation desk. "We did not fly all the way to your God forsaken country just to end up in hovel on the top floor! Do you know who I am? Do you know how many people I could tell about your shitty hotel?! I demand to speak to a manager!"

Sugar hung back away from her moms and siblings, still blasting her music in her ears as she tried to ignore the scene her mother was making. This was typical Santana Pierce-Lopez, though. The family could hardly order chicken nuggets at McDonald's without the fiery woman finding at least one thing wrong. At least she was yelling at a stranger now, and no longer at her mom.

Dani was torn between staying by her mom's side and helping to hold her brother's hands, or going over to her mami's side and helping to maybe calm her down. Santana very rarely got angry with her, so maybe she could step in and smooth things over before they got kicked out completely. She didn't even know why her mami was complaining anyway, it's not like she was carrying any of their bags up the stairs herself.

If Brittany wasn't used to the display, she would have been horrified at the spectacle her wife was making. Everyone in the lobby was stopped and staring at them, and since she didn't understand Thai, she had no idea what they were saying about her and her family. This was why she hated going out in public these days.

After a good twenty minutes of screaming and threatening action, Santana finally accepted the managers offer to room them on the second floor private balcony, luxury suite. It wasn't as glamorous as the original one she'd wanted, but at least she'd be able to get some privacy in this one. That, and the girls wouldn't have to share a bedroom with the babies.

"Dani, keep ahold of Tyler's hand. We don't want you getting separated," Brittany instructed absently, ushering her daughter and son ahead of her so she could watch them head up the stairs. "Sugar, please help by grabbing a bag," she asked of her eldest, but the girl simply ignored her and walked past their pile of suitcases and up the stairs behind her siblings.

Sighing, Brittany fished in her pocket for a few bills, frowning when all she could find were US dollars. The teenage boy that was standing around looking at her didn't seem to mind once she beckoned him over and handed him the money. "Second floor, room 210," she instructed the child, who couldn't have been older than Sugar.

She rolled her eyes at the thought of Sugar ever doing a days hard work. Santana really had them all spoiled. But at what expense?

* * *

Things still hadn't quieted down, even after they'd unpacked and settled in for the evening. Sugar was upset that she didn't have her own bedroom; something Santana had apparently promised her. Or more likely, used in order to convinced the girl into going on the trip in the first place.

"Sugar, can you please start acting your age. This is where we're staying, and no you don't get to have your own room. So you can either share with your sister, or with the babies. Your choice," Brittany laid out the options, still mildly irritated herself after the day's long journey.

"Why can't Dani sleep with the babies?! I mean, she practically _is_ one herself! She cries when it gets dark and insists we leave a light on. It's so annoying!" Sugar didn't care that her sister was standing just a few feet away from her, a distressed and embarrassed expression on her face.

It always upset Dani that her sister considered her a baby. She was only three and a half years younger than Sugar, so that wasn't a very good argument in her mind. Though in her mind, she understood what her sister was really trying to say. She hated being around her because she didn't look like them. She looked like a foreigner, and not possibly a member of their rich, upper class, white family.

Daniela was Santana's only biological child, and so it made sense that she took more after her than she did after Brittany. Except, where her mami was a lighter shade of tan, she herself was much darker. A combination of the sun, and the african american genetics her sperm donor father had passed along to her.

Normally she didn't care that she appeared so out of place within her family. Manhattan was full of people of all different ethnicities and skin types, so even though she was the odd one out inside their house, she wasn't when she was out and about with her friends. Here in Thailand however, she just knew she was going to be mistaken over and over again for a local instead of a tourist. It always happened when they went on vacation overseas.

Whatever, it was Christmas and she was off of school for the next week. And unlike most of her friends who were currently snowed in at home, she was going to be spending all of her time on the beach in the sun.

"Mom, I can sleep in the boy's room, it's not a big deal to me," Dani interrupted her mothers argument with Sugar, hoping her peacekeeping skills could come into use here. She'd also rather stay with her brothers than her big sister, but knew enough to keep quiet about that part.

"No, thank you Dani, but you and Sugar are sharing a room and that is final. You can pout and moan and stomp around all you want, Sugar, but I will not have you keep your brothers up all night with your loud music and that game of yours," Brittany insisted, going against her natural desire to be appeasing and non-disciplinarian. But since Santana didn't seem to have an opinion on the matter, she had to be the one to put her foot down.

"UGH! FINE!" Sugar shouted, stomping her feet a few more times before grabbing her bag and storming off into the middle bedroom.

"For being your kid, she sure acts like Mami a lot," Dani remarked from where she was standing next to her mom, fiddling with the straps of her backpack. She kept her voice down because she knew her sister absolutely _hated_ being compared to their mami, even if what she said was true.

"Hush you," Brittany scolded lightly, still worked up from the argument with the other girl. She had one twin in her arms and the other clinging to her leg and both smelt like they needed to be changed. "Go unpack and get your swimsuit on. Maybe some time at the pool before dinner will do us all some good."

Brittany watched her daughter head warily into her shared bedroom before looking around for her wife. "Typical..." she sighed under her breath when the woman was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Things did eventually quiet down once Christmas morning hit, and the few presents they'd managed to take on the plane were being opened and played with. Sugar had already gotten her main present the week before - a brand new, cherry red convertible. She didn't have her license yet, so it was currently parked in a garage by Santana's office.

Brittany had been enraged at the gift, having thought she and Santana had agreed on not getting the spoiled teenager a car until she started to be more responsible around the house. The question of any of their kids working for a living was already answered by Santana's six figure salary, but that didn't mean the girl couldn't learn some basic life skills.

Daniela was easier to satisfy, with a brand new Macbook Pro. They'd managed to convince the girl to leave it in NY though, citing the differences in electrical outlets and the harm that could cause to computers, and the fact she'd probably be out side at the pool all day anyway. To tide her over, they'd gotten her an iPad like her sisters, which she was now trying to work out how to plug in using the adapter they'd also purchased.

Tyler and Ryan were even easier to please than their sister, and were both now constructing a massive battle tower out of a set of jumbo sized Lego's. That just left Santana and Brittany's presents to each other.

Brittany had already suspected that Santana was going to use this trip as her 'gift' to her wife, and so was surprised when the woman handed her a velvety box that evening after the kids had gone to bed. Opening it with shaky hands, Brittany was at first startled, and then a little let down to see what was inside.

It was the charm bracelet Santana had gotten her after she'd given birth to Sugar. Along the golden chain were the charms that represented both of them, along with the date they got married, and the two that held symbol for their daughters, as well as their date of birth. The bracelet was almost exactly the same as the last time she'd seen it, except now there was another charm along the length, and a date that was close, but not quite their sons birthday.

"I know I kept promising to have the boys added, and so I finally remembered to do it last month. Do you like?" Santana asked, taking a sip of her second glass of red wine.

Brittany cleared her throat and nodded, closing the box and setting it down on the edge of the table. She decided not to mention the inaccuracy in the date stamp, knowing it would just lead into an argument about what little Santana did actually know about her family.

"So, what did you get me?" Santana asked somewhat seductively, the wine obviously going to her head. "Is it something I can only unwrap when we're in the bedroom?" She grinned at this, already feeling her body heating up at the thought of spending the entire night with her wife on their hotel's king sized bed. They'd been too tired or busy the past few nights, and so hadn't had any physical affection yet.

"Um, not quite..." Brittany was torn. She hadn't wanted Santana to drink, needing her to be sober when she told her the news. As it were, the girl was only getting sloppier by the minute. Sighing, she decided to save what she had to tell her till the morning. At least they could get one last good nights sleep before all hell broke loose.

* * *

"You're _leaving_ me!?" Santana exclaimed, still hungover from the wine. She couldn't believe this was happening. She thought Brittany had been reaching into her suitcase for some sort of sex toy, _not_ for an envelope full of divorce papers. "Brit, I don't understand! You can't just throw this at me from out of nowhere without giving me the chance to... I don't know, fix whatever it is I did to upset you."

Brittany was crying, tears streaming like rivers down her cheeks as she furiously tried to wipe them away. This was exactly how she imagined this scene to go, and wished now she had waited till they were back at home to break the news. At least then they had a few extra walls to buffer their voices so their children couldn't hear.

"San, please stop yelling," she pleaded, already having her speech prepared in her head. She didn't know how she was going to get through it while still crying, but she had to try. And if all else failed, she also had a copy printed out. "The kids can hear you. _Everybody_ can hear you."

Santana was pacing back and forth, her hands wound tightly into her hair as she tried to comprehend what her wife was telling her. _She wasn't happy? Hadn't been for a long time? That she was never home and the kids thought of her as a stranger?_

How was she supposed to process all of this? Brittany was the love of her life. They'd been together since Senior year of high-school. They had four kids together. How could Brittany possibly think she didn't love her anymore? "Brit, please, let's be rational about this."

"Rational San? Really? You want me to be _rational_, when you don't even know the correct date of our sons' birth! It's the twenty seventh! Not the twenty fifth!" Brittany shouted back, reaching over to the nightstand and opening up the box. She took out the bracelet and chucked it at her wife. "But you wouldn't know because you were on a God damn business trip that week!"

Santana recoiled as the bracelet hit her, stunned more by the woman's words than by the action. Bending down to pick it up, she smoothed her thumb over the two teddy bears that represented their boys. Had she really gotten the date wrong? "Brit, I'm sorry, I can fix it, it's not a big deal," she insisted, holding the bracelet tight in her fist.

Brittany laughed at this and placed her face in her hands, shaking her head. "That's why I am leaving you San, because you're right. Missing the birth of our sons _wasn't_ a big deal to you. None of us are. The only thing you care about is your fancy job and your money. Me and the kids, we're just getting in the way," her voice softened at the end of her sentence, her heart splitting in two at her lovers defeated look. At least they were both on the same page now.

In the other room, Sugar had had enough of listening to her moms yelling. She'd known for a while that her mom was unhappy and planning to leave her mother, but didn't think the woman had the balls to break the news while they were halfway around the world in some poor ass foreign country. What if Santana refused to pay for their flight home? Then what?

"I'm going down to the beach," Sugar said after a while, trying not to be concerned at the sudden silence from the next room. She already had her one piece on, and pulled on a pair of jean shorts and a stylish pink top.

"Can I come with you?" Dani asked, sitting up quickly in her bed. She'd been trying to occupy herself with the preloaded Disney movie's on her iPad, but the prospect of being out of earshot all together was much more appealing. "Please? I won't bother you, I promise."

Sugar rolled her eyes and shook her head, slipping her feet into her sandals. "No, you stay here. And don't you dare tell on me," the girl warned, grabbing her sunglasses and her room key.

Dani frowned but nodded, going back to watching her movie once her sister had left the room.

Back in the master bedroom, Santana was seated on the bed with her head in her hands while Brittany stood in the bathroom and desperately tried to clean her face. They had to tell their kids what was happening. They had to figure out what they were going to do regarding custody.

Santana had more legal claims to Daniela since she was the girl's biological mother, but the last thing Brittany wanted to do was split the kids up. Even if Sugar and her fought a lot, they were still sisters, and they would need each other in their lives.

Santana was Sugar's adoptive mother, but Brittany was almost 100% certain that the teenager would refuse having to spend even weekends at her mothers. Truthfully, she wasn't sure Santana would even want the girl to.

The twins weren't up for debate. They were Brittany's babies, and just like Sugar, she wasn't even sure Santana would want the responsibility of caring for them anyway. She didn't even know why Santana was fighting this, when it was so obvious that splitting up was what was best for all of them.

There was a tiny knock at the door, and Santana quickly wiped at her eyes as she beckoned whichever child had knocked into the room. "Hey mija," she softened, ushering her daughter to sit in her lap. Hugging her close to her chest, she rested her chin on the girl's shoulder and waited for her to speak. It didn't take long.

"Are you and Mommy splitting up?" the twelve year old asked, already knowing the answer, but still hoping maybe it wasn't true. At her mother's sigh and slightly nod, she leant further back into the woman's arms. "Can I stay with you?"

Brittany felt another batch of tears coming on as she listened to her daughter ask this of her wife. The girl wasn't even upset that they were getting divorced. It was as if she'd already known it was going to happen. Had Sugar told her? She'd instructed the girl not to, but when did Sugar ever listen to her?

"Oh, baby, let's not think about that now, okay? We're still on vacation. We're still a family," Santana explained, placing a kiss to her child's temple. "How about you wake up your sister and the three of us can head down to the pool before breakfast?" she asked, knowing Brittany could hear her from the bathroom, and hoping the woman recognized the effort she was making to include the teenager when normally she didn't.

Dani bit her lip as she thought about what her sister had said. But did it really matter if the girl was mad at her if she wasn't going to live with her for much longer? "Um, Sugar already went down to the beach," she explained, twisting a strand of hair in her fingers as she waited for the inevitable explosion.

"Wait, _what_?!" Santana nudged the girl from her lap and stood up, turning to stare at her. "She went off by herself? How long ago? Why didn't you come tell us?" she demanded, not realizing she was scaring the child by her outburst.

Brittany came out of the bathroom then and took her wife by the shoulders, leading her away from the girl now crying on the bed. "Santana, calm down. It's not Dani's fault, you know how Sugar is." Santana did un-tense a little, but still had that hard, angry look on her face. "I'm sure she's fine. Stay here with the babies and I'll go get her."

Santana shook her head quickly. "No, no. I'll go get her," she insisted, already moving to find some shorts and a reasonably presentable top. Realizing she still had the charm bracelet clenched in her fist, she set it down on the dresser while she changed, and then, almost as an afterthought, picked it back up and shoved it into her shorts pocket.

"Please don't scream at her San, this is hard on her too," Brittany pleaded to Santana's retreating form, but the woman just ignored her as she grabbed her keycard and exited the bedroom.

* * *

"Sugar Pierce-Lopez! You stop walking right this instant!"

Sugar groaned as she heard her mother shouting at her, deciding to ignore her instructions and continue on her path towards the hot-tub. She'd seen some really cute boys her age there the night before.

Santana clenched her hands at her sides as the girl continued to walk away from her. She began to jog as best she could in her sandals, until finally she caught up with the teen. Grabbing the girl's elbow, she spun her around and fastened the hardest, most stern expression she could onto her face. "What in the God damn hell were you thinking, leaving the hotel room by yourself!? Did you _want_ to get kidnapped and sold into slavery!?"

Sugar rolled her eyes at this and kicked at the sand with her foot. "I dunno, maybe," she retorted, knowing she was only angering the woman further by trying to be cute. "It couldn't be worse than listening to you scream at my mother all the time."

Santana was thrown by this remark, and steadied herself, trying to calm down a little. "Look, your mother and I, we have our fights, sure, but so do all couples. It doesn't mean she and I don't love each other."

"Oh please, I already knew she was leaving you. She told me ages ago, because she wanted to make sure I was okay with it," Sugar replied, brushing at a fly that was buzzing around her head absently. Was her mother really that oblivious? Or worse, did her mother really think _she_ was that oblivious?

Santana deflated again, not sure what she'd expected from the girl, but feeling the ache in her heart at the indifference she was clearly giving off. "And are you? Okay with it?" she asked, studying her daughter's face. This was the girl she had helped raise since the day she was born. This was her _daughter_. How could the girl be so nonchalant about the whole thing?

Sugar could see her mother was wounded by her responses thus far, but figured she deserved it with the way she'd been yelling at her mom earlier. "Are you kidding? A chance to get away from all the fighting, for mom to be happy for once? Of course i'm okay with it. You already got me a car, and then there's all the money you'll owe in child support, it's not like our lives are going to change much in the end."

"How can you say that? Sugar, I'm your_ mother_, I-"

"No! You're _not _my mother! My mother is up there crying hysterically because you had the indecency to make her feel guilty about wanting to leave! You're _not _my mother! You're just- you're just a walking ATM that occasionally comes home for dinner. You don't care about us! All you care about is your damn job and your damn money!" Sugar was screaming at this point, and for once she didn't care who was watching.

Santana had to take a step back, unsure what to say, or even if there was anything _to_ say to the girl. She knew she was right. She _wasn't_ a mother to her. Or at least she hadn't been for a long time. It's not like she had planned for things to turn out this way, they just sorta did. And once they had, she hadn't really made an effort to be the parent they truly needed.

"Sugar, I'm sorry..." Santana started, trailing off when her daughter turned and started walking away, heading now towards the beach. She watched the girl for a few moments, knowing she had to follow her, but wanting to give her some room as well.

She was just about to call her name again when a loud thundering noise rang out, seemingly enveloping the entire resort in a momentary, eerie stillness. Then, as if in slow motion, Santana turned her head to the side just as a giant wall of water became visible atop the palm trees, moving towards them at a speed she couldn't even comprehend._ What the hell was happening!?_

People started screaming and running, aiming for the safety of the resort. Santana, however, began running _towards_ the wall of water. Towards her daughter. "SUGAR!" She screamed, but the girl was frozen in her spot, her head turned towards the incoming wave. "SUGAR RUN!" Santana shouted again, losing her flip flops as she bolted as fast as she could across the sand.

Everything was slowed down, faded out almost. The roar of the water as it broke through the trees, carrying the splintered palms and other debris towards them should have been deafening. But Santana couldn't hear it. All she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating as she frantically tried to get to her child.

At the last possible moment, Santana managed to reach the girl and pulled her into her arms, spinning them around so she could shield her daughter with her body. "I love-" she started to say, but was interrupted as the twenty foot high wall of water finally reached them, slamming into their bodies and causing the entire world to go black.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you everyone who read and favorited and reviewed my last chapter! I'm glad you are all enjoying this story. This chapter is shorter, but it's all action so I didn't want to overwhelm you guys by continuing further. _

_I would love to hear your feedback and thoughts about the plot. Even if you haven't seen the movie, it would be fun to know what you guys think might happen to the characters. If you leave a signed in review, I'll respond back as soon as I have the time :)_

_Enjoy_

* * *

**The Impossible**

Chapter Two

There was a loud ringing in her ears. This high pitched, piercing tone that only grew louder and louder until Santana thought her head was going to explode. Opening her mouth she tried to scream, but only water and dirt filled her lungs. Unable to expel the suffocating mixture, the terrified woman did the only thing her body would allow her to do - she _swam_.

The water was so thick and clouded with debris that it was nearly impossible to figure out which way was up. With time running out and needing to make a choice, Santana propelled herself as fast and hard as she could in the direction she was currently facing. She just prayed it was the right one.

Her muscles burned and her chest was on fire as the effects of oxygen deprivation began to take effect. She knew she only had a few more seconds to reach the light; to reach the sun that she could now clearly see above her. She was almost there, she was almost to the surface. She could do this. She _had _to do this.

First to break through the surface of the raging waters was her hands, followed next by her head as she finally, gratefully took in that desperately needed gasp of breath. Followed by another, and another.

Now that she was no longer suffocating, she turned her attention towards the rest of her horrifying situation - _What the hell had just happened?!_

Even though she was above the water, the terrifyingly strong current continued to pull her in a direction she didn't want to go. She didn't know what was going on, but she did know she needed to stay put.

"Sugar!" she screamed as loud as her battered lungs would allow. She had to find her daughter. She had to find her baby girl. "Sugar!"

Unbeknownst to her mother, the teenager had managed to surface just a few yards away and was now clinging for dear life to a nearly horizontal palm tree. The current was merciless and the girl knew if she lost her grip she would drown. Random bits of building and wreckage were slamming into her back, tearing at her skin as the water carried what was left of the lower half of their hotel away.

"Help!" she started to scream as her arms began to tire of gripping the palm tree. She couldn't see anyone else in the waters around her, just crushed up cars and uprooted foliage. _Where was her mother? Where was Santana? _

"Mami!" Sugar cried, suddenly recalling how the woman had chosen to run to her instead of to safety. How the woman she had only moments before been screaming at had chosen to shield her against the wave with her own, fragile body. Santana had done what she'd never imagined the woman would do - put _her_ life before her own. "Mami..."

Santana had managed to grab hold of a billboard, the sharp edges of the sign cutting into her arms and legs as she desperately tried to keep from being washed further away. "Sugar!" she screamed again, using her now stationary position to get a better look at her surroundings.

Heart nearly sinking into her stomach, Santana let out a horrified wail as she saw what was left of their hotel. The bottom two floors seemed to have been washed away completely, making the levels that remained appear to be standing on stilts.

"Brittany, no!" she sobbed, knowing in that moment that her lover was gone. _This was all her fault!_ If she hadn't insisted they room on the second floor instead of the fourth, then her family would have been safe. "No, no, no no..." They couldn't all be dead. They couldn't all be dead because of her.

Sugar was almost about to let go of the palm tree and let God decide what happened to her when she heard a familiar voice screaming not too far away. "Mami!?" she shouted back, finding within herself a boost of energy in order to pull herself along the length of the tree until she spotted where the noise was coming from. Or more importantly, _who_ it was coming from.

"MAMI!" All rational thought tossed aside, Sugar let go of her safe haven and began to thrash and kick against the current, trying to get to the large metal sign that stood barely twenty yards away. "Mami!"

Santana had stopped screaming, her lungs practically on fire as she struggled once more simply to breathe. She was bleeding from numerous wounds on her body, and the blood loss combined with the cold temperature of the water was causing her to slowly lose her grip on the sign. Should she just let go and let the water take her? Would it be enough of a sacrifice for God to forgive her for not cherishing and protecting her family?

She was about to let go when a voice drifted towards her still painfully ringing ears. She knew that voice. "Sugar!?" As soon as the girl's name left her lips, she spotted her daughter about ten yards away, caught up in the current and being swept inland with the rest of the island's debris.

Without a second thought, Santana let go of the sign and flung herself in the direction of her frantically struggling child. Sugar wasn't the best swimmer in the family, though even if she were, the speed and choppiness of the water would have eventually been too much for her. Because as strong a swimmer as Santana was, even she was having trouble staying above the surface as she tried to close the distance between them.

"Sugar!" Santana was only a few feet away and she stretched her arms out as far as she could, desperately trying to grab ahold of her child. "Sugar!" The current was picking up now as the ground began to slope the further inland they were carried. She couldn't see any buildings anymore, just what appeared to be an endless stretch of ocean.

Sugar was so tired, but her mom was so close. If they could just find something to grab a hold of, if they could just -

"Sugar go under!" Santana screamed, when from the corner of her vision she spotted what appeared to be a solid wall of dirt and metal racing towards them. It was another wave. "Go under!" she shouted at the girl before taking as large a breath as she could and disappearing beneath the surface of the water.

Unfortunately the new wall of debris extended well below how far down she was able to swim, and as if she were in a blender, the jagged, sharp edges of metal and wood tore into her body, puncturing her chest and slicing open the back of her thigh as the water twisting her around and upside down and back again.

Sugar hadn't managed to fare any better, and for a moment her head seemed to explode with a thousand stars dancing before her eyes. Not ready to give up anymore, not with her mother so near, she forced her body to work past the excrutiating pain and finally managed to surface once again.

"Mami!" the girl screamed once she'd cleared her lungs of muck and water. The current was still pulling her along with it, but this time she couldn't see her mother being forced to do the same. "Mami no!" she flailed her arms, kicking as hard as she could until her body collided with an unmoving piece of structure.

Once stationary, it didn't take Sugar long to spot the dark haired figuring laying face down in the water just a few yards away. "Mami! Mami!" Pushing away from her sanctuary, she forced herself to intercept the still unresponsive figure. It was her mom, she knew it. She just had to get to her, she just had to!

In that moment right before she felt the blackness swallow her, Santana thrust her head upwards, choking down as much oxygen as she could around the water also filling her mouth. Hearing her name, she spun around and spotted her child just a few feet away. Using the last bit of energy she had in her, she reached out and grabbed onto the girl.

Sugar clung to her mother, wrapping her arms and legs around her even though they were both still being carried along with the current. "Mami! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she sobbed as her mother held her. As inconceivable as their entire situation was, the fact that she was now with her mom made all the bad thoughts disappear. Her mom would protect her. She was safe now.

Santana tried to sooth her hysterical child as best she could while also trying to find something for them to grab a hold of. The further inland they let the water take them, the further away they would be from the rest of their family. The family she was no longer convinced were dead, but were safe and would soon be looking for them.

Spotting a downed palm tree not too far away, she turned and pointed it out to her daughter. "Sugar, let's try to make it to that tree," she coaxed, needing the girl to loosen her grip on her a little if they were going to be able to reach it before they were swept past.

It was a struggle, but finally they made contact with the trunk of the tree and wrapped their arms around it while also huddling close to one another. The water wasn't moving as fast as it had been, which hopefully meant it would all be over soon. "I've got you, I've got you," Santana soothed, resting her head against her daughters as their legs drifted and tangled together beneath them.

"Mami, I'm scared," Sugar whimpered, the enormity of their situation slowly becoming apparent to her. They were who knows how many miles away from the beach at this point, in a country neither of them spoke the language of. The rest of their family was dead, or in a similar predicament as them. And to make matters worse, neither of them knew if it was over, or if another wave would suddenly appear, this time most certainly resulting in their demise.

"I know baby, I'm scared too," Santana responded back, not even thinking twice about admitting such a thing to the teenager. It was as if the last 16 years had been proverbially washed away, giving them both a blank slate with which to work. "But i'm here now, and I'm never going to leave you ever again, I promise."

And in that moment she did promise. If they survived this ordeal and made it back to New York, she was quitting her job and spending the next however many years it took making it up to her family. Making up for all the lost time; the birthdays, and the holidays, and the sleepovers, and graduations. It wasn't too late for her to be a part of her family. It wasn't too late for them to be happy.

"I'm gonna find you Brittany. I'm gonna find you, and Dani, and Taylor and Ryan. I'm gonna find you guys, and when I do, I'm never going to let you go again."


	3. Chapter 3

_Short mini chapter just to keep things moving. The next one should be lengthier and more detailed once again :)_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**The Impossible**

Chapter Three

Sugar couldn't stop shaking as she followed her mother through the slowly receding waters of the once picturesque Thailand countryside. She was in shock; her body numb to the numerous injuries she'd sustained from the debris inside the waves. Beneath her feet, the torn up ground made it difficult for her to find her footing, and she kept having to stop in order to search for a safer path to take.

Santana was silent as she walked in front of her daughter, her steps just as perilous, though her mind was elsewhere. Brittany was dead. The love of her life, the mother of her children. All because she'd insisted that they room somewhere other than the top floor. Her wife and her kids would have been safe on the top floor. But they were all gone now.

"Mami?" Sugar asked hesitantly, her mother having stopped walking a few minutes ago without any verbal indication of why. The woman was just staring ahead of her blankly, though Sugar knew the expression on her face was that of pain. Santana never liked to appear vulnerable in front of her children, but Sugar was old enough to have seen the woman break down once or twice.

When Santana still didn't respond, Sugar reached out to take her hand, knowing they needed to find higher ground in case another wave came. "Mami? We have to keep walking," the girl told her mother, tugging gently on her hand to try and snap her out of her paralysis.

For the first time since the original wave hit, Sugar was able to fully assess her Mom's condition, and immediately noticed a steady stream of blood coming from an exposed wound on her chest just under her left armpit. Santana's shirt was ripped on that side, also revealing her breast and upper torso to the young girl.

"Mami, your shirt," Sugar stated, turning quickly around to give the woman some privacy. Only there was no movement behind her, Santana either not having heard her, or being too overwhelmed to care. Looking down at her own tank top, Sugar slowly began to pull the item up over her head, only slightly conscientious of the pain in her own tired body. She had a lot of bruises and cuts, but nothing as serious looking as the injury her Mom sustained whilst battling the water.

"Mami, here," the girl cleared her throat and held her shirt out behind her; her one piece bathing suit affording her more than enough protection from the intense, summertime elements. When her mother still didn't respond, Sugar slowly turned around, keeping her eyes on the murky water still flowing around their knees. "Mami, please. You're hurt."

Santana shook out of her stupor at her daughter's pleading tone, and turned her head to look at the girl and the shirt she was holding out for her to take. Glancing down at her own top, she felt her throat tighten at the visible wound in her side, eventually realizing her partial nakedness was making her daughter uncomfortable.

Reluctantly she took the shirt from her child's outstretched hand, trying to offer her as appreciative smile as she could, before slowly turning back around. "I should be giving you the shirt off my back, not the other way around," she commented sadly as she carefully and painstakingly pulled her ripped top off, replacing it with Sugars. "You can look now."

Sugar let out a little breath of air as she slowly turned back around, some of the tension in her body leaving now that her mother's injuries were no longer visible to her. From the obvious bulge beneath the womans shirt where the wound had been, Sugar ascertained that Santana had fashioned some sort of bandage with her own shirt before putting on her daughter's. She could tell from the woman's expression and stance that she was hurting much more than she wanted to let on, but the concept of her mother being unable to persevere despite her injuries was as foreign to the girl as the country they were now lost in.

Santana could tell from the look on her daughter's face that she was afraid, and not just for herself. "Come here," she held her arms out, motioning her child into a hug. "I'm fine baby girl, I'm not going anywhere. I promise," she reassured, silently praying that this was one promise she could actually follow through with.

Sugar didn't hesitate to cross the distance between them, carefully burying herself in her mother's arms. "Mami, I'm scared," she admitted, the tears she'd thought she'd run out of beginning to drip down her face once again. "What if there's another wave? We can't survive another wave."

Santana hushed her child, kissing her on the top of the head as she held her. "We're going to be just fine, do you hear me Sugar? We're going to find our way back to the hotel; Brittany and your brothers and sister are probably already waiting for us. We are not going to die, alright?"

"Promise?" Sugar asked, her voice wavering on the verge of tears. She honestly didn't believe her mother and siblings were still alive, but until they knew for sure she wanted to hold onto the childish fantasy that they were alive and safe.

"Pinky promise," Santana responded, removing one arm from around the girl in order to hold her finger up for her to take. Sugar immediately entwined her own pinky with her Mami's, the relief she felt in her heart easily enough to keep her going; to keep her here with Santana.

All the anger and animosity she'd built up towards the woman over the past 16 years had been washed clean away with the tidal waves. If the unthinkable were true, and the rest of their family were dead, then she was going to make damn sure both she and her Mami survived this ordeal together. Because for all their problems, they were family. And Sugar wasn't going to let go of possibly the only family she had left without a fight.


	4. Chapter 4

_A big thank you to everyone who sent me a PM or review supporting me and this story! Or that reported the story thief. They have since taken it down, so yay :) Still haven't responded to me WHY they did it in the first place, but I'm not holding my breath. Also, meant to say this yesterday, THANK YOU to the anon who told me about the jacking. I probably wouldn't have ever noticed if you hadn't alerted me. :D_

_Here's the next chapter. I actually had a lot more written, but decided to break it up so I can do a chapter from Brittany's POV next, before returning back to this scene. I know I could have split it up within one chapter like I did my first chapter, but thought I'd reward you guys by posting it like this so you get something now and hopefully something again tomorrow (or tonight)_

_Also, I accidentally wrote this in present tense first, and had to go back and change to past tense. I might have missed some edits so yeah, don't get confused if it reads weird in places._

* * *

**The Impossible**

Chapter 04

The water had mostly drained away now, the flattened grass and reeds feeling much better under Santana's tired and torn feet. She had no idea how long her daughter and her had been walking, but would have hoped to have found some sort of un-destroyed structure by now. Or people. They'd been walking for hours and had yet to see any other people.

"Mami, look," Sugar perked up from her otherwise sluggish and forlorn state in order to point at a large, oddly shaped tree off in the distance. It was one of the few items on the horizon that wasn't horizontal, or at least attempting to be. "We should climb up there, in case another wave comes," she suggested. Even though it'd been a while since the last wave, she was still terrified of there being more.

Santana squinted in the scorching sun, feeling the little bit of energy she had left drain away at the thought of having to climb anything in that moment. She knew her daughter was right, and that it was the only real option they had, but what if she couldn't do it? What if she couldn't do it _in front of her daughter?_

It was stupid, and the woman instantly berated herself for feeling bad about being injured and vulnerable. Sugar was not the same child she was that morning, just as she wasn't the same mother she'd been for the past 16 years. If she'd had to scale Mount Everest to keep her child safe, then she would do it, or she would die trying.

The wound on the back of her thigh was troubling her though. A sizable chunk of her flesh had been sliced into, and even with the bandage she'd made with a portion of her ruined shirt, it was still bleeding profusely. Sugar'd had to help her tie the fabric because she'd kept wimping out due to the pain. The girl had handled it like a pro, or at least, much better than she'd had.

Walking was growing more and more difficult as time wore on, and before they were even halfway towards the tree, Santana had to stop to rest and catch her breath. Finding a relatively dry area of dirt, she slowly lowered herself down to the ground in a pathetic heap.

Sugar hovered around her mother, wanting to help but not knowing what to do. There was no way she would be able to carry the woman should she pass out, so she was eager to get to the tree as soon as possible. How she was going to help get her mother up into it, she'd figure out later.

"Mom, we should keep-" the girl trailed off at the sound of a small child shouting and crying in the distance. Both she and her mother turned their heads towards the sound, their heart beats racing, but for completely different reasons. Sugar was thinking about her own siblings, and what if they were stranded like this poor child was, while Santana was thinking about finding and saving them, regardless of who they were.

"Sugar, over there, honey, it's coming from those palm trees." Santana tried to pull herself back to her feet but slipped in a small patch of mud, landing awkwardly on her bad leg. Crying out at the sudden pressure on her injury, she gripped at her leg in an attempt to quell the pain. After a few moments she looked up at her daughter pleadingly. "Find them, help them. Please, you-"

"What? No! I'm not leaving you," Sugar barked back, feeling her anxiety level taking off at the thought of getting lost and her mother dying out there alone because of her. "Someone will come for them. We have to think about _us_. We have to get to that tree," she insisted feebly, her voice cracking as she watched her mother break down in front of her.

Santana was crying freely now, in both physical pain and mental anguish. That child belonged to someone; they were somebody's _baby_. What if it were Daniela? Or Ryan or Tyler? They couldn't just leave them there. They had to at least _try_ to help. "Sugar, come here, please," she whispered, motioning for her daughter to crouch down to her level.

"I know you're scared, Sugar. I'm scared too. I'm scared for your mother, and your brothers and sister. I'm scared for you. I'm scared for me. Baby girl, the hotel, it was... It was gone..." she stopped here to wipe at the tears now cascading down her daughters cheeks. "Someone will help them. If they're hurt, or lost, I just know it in my heart that someone will find them and help them. Just like that childs parent's know that someone will help _their_ child. We can't not try, Sugar. We can't. We can't-"

Sugar wrapped her arms around her mother just as the woman started to sob, her words indecipherable as she wept for their family, who's fate was still unknown. "Okay Mami, okay," Sugar pulled back once her mother's arms loosened around her. "I'll go. I'll go try..."

Santana wiped at her own face with the back of her arm and nodded, feeling her chest swell with pride towards her daughter. She knew the girl had to be terrified to go off alone, but she was doing it anyway. She was doing it because even if she liked to pretend she was selfish and uncaring, she was still a Pierce-Lopez; she was still Brittany's kid.

"You would be so proud of her, Brit," she whispered as she watched her daughter head towards the now constant crying. "I mean, _will be,_ you will be, when we find you," she quickly corrected, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes.

When Sugar was out of sight completely, she glanced up at the sun, blinking repeatedly as she tried to judge in what direction it was moving. It struck her in that moment, this feeling that wherever Brittany was, she was looking up at the sky too. She was looking for them, just like they were looking for her.

"When we find each other again, I'm going to spend every single day of the rest of my life making it up to you. I love you and our family so, so much. Please be okay, Brit. Please be okay... I- I can't do this without you..."


End file.
